A thorough search was conducted covering all aspects of previous vehicular drive systems and prior art does not disclose a device similar to that disclosed in this patent application. Prior art has disclosed a number of vehicle drive systems using wind generators in combination with electric motor driven vehicles, quite a number of vehicle drive systems having gasoline engines for driving a generator or alternator for supplying electricity to an electric driven vehicle, and also the opposite whereby an electric motor is the auxiliary power to a gasoline driven vehicle, a number of energy storage devices as flywheels in combination with the gasoline engine and also several hydraulically driven vehicles having electricity as the power source.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,413,698 Conrad there is disclosed a hydraulically motor driven vehicle that is battery controlled, has a hydrostatic transmission and a hydraulically driven generator for the recharging of batteries. The Gilbert U.S. Pat. No. 3,948,047 relates to a turbine wheel of improved design having a hydraulic pump as a source of power that is driven by an electric motor or gasoline engine and the output of the pump is connected across a sequencing valve to a rotor or a power wheel unit. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,379,008 there is disclosed a turbine having a vane rotor within its shaft connected to a transmission and responsive to compressed air to propel a vehicle. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,468,828 Kopp there is disclosed the use of a turbine type hydraulic motor in a vehicle drive system. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,456,520 there is disclosed a hydraulic drive in which a hydraulic motor drives the vehicle and also serves as a pump during braking. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,734,225 there is disclosed an improvement in an hydrostatic drive system by the adjustment of the control means by regulating the pressure so that the hydraulic motor operates as a constant motor. Hydraulic motor drives have been driven either by an electric motor to a pump or by a gasoline engine, and in several of the disclosures the hydraulic drive system serves as auxiliary power to the gasoline engine driven vehicle.
In the Spahn U.S. Pat. No. 3,556,239 there is disclosed a battery powered vehicle having air operated turbines for providing charging current to batteries and for driving the vehicle. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,002,218 Horvat there is disclosed a series of flat rotary vanes operated by fluid currents that generate electricity through sensing switching controls to a storage battery for providing electricity to an electric motor for driving the vehicle. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,254,843 Han there is disclosed the application of a whirl ventilator system using air flow and vehicle momentum to a clutch mechanism at the drive shaft for driving an electrical generator in the recharging of batteries for supplying electricity for driving an electric motor to the vehicle, and also an on-board fuel powered engine for driving an electric generator.
In the Horwinski U.S. Pat. No. 3,904,883 there is disclosed a hybrid energy converter and transmission unit wherein one and the same electrical machine is used as the driving motor and also as the generator for the recharging of batteries in an electric driven vehicle. This required high starting currents. In U.S. Pat. No. 40,042,056 Horwinski, there also is disclosed a hybrid vehicle power system involving both an electric motor and an internal combustion engine, wherein excessively and abnormally high starting currents are eliminated by using a simplified power transmission having an exceptionally high speed ratio and range, and one set of wheels is powered by the internal combustion engine and the other set of wheels is powered by an electric motor. The drive comprises a combination to a magnetic clutch with chain drive to the front and the rear wheels to sets of cone pulleys connected by a chain drive to the motor. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,974,769 there is disclosed a vehicle transmission in which mechanical energy is obtained from an internal combustion engine that is connected through a magnetic particle clutch to a gear box which is coupled to the drive shaft of a vehicle. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,845,835 there is disclosed an electric power plant for a land vehicle which includes an electric motor, for turning the drive shaft of the vehicle, two alternators also driven by the motor, a voltage regulator for the alternators and two sets of batteries charged alternately through the regulator. The battery not being charged energizes the motor. The alternators are connected to the axles of the vehicle. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,077,121 there is disclosed an automatic transmission control system which includes a plurality of magnetic particle clutches. And other examples of transmission mechanisms employing magnetic partical clutches include U.S. Pat. No. 2,688,388 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,718,157. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,917,017 there is disclosed a battery operated vehicle drive system in which two sets of series connected batteries are alternately charged by an internal combustion engine under control of a change over selector. The vehicle speed is controlled by selection of power terminals, at different voltage levels, from which the drive motor is energized. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,367,438 there is disclosed a power plant for a vehicle in which an internal combustion engine and an electric motor are used alternatively for powering a vehicle.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,664 Bray there is disclosed an arrangement in which a constant speed AC motor is energized through an A.C. alternator which is driven primarily by a battery powered 12VDC motor which also drives three DC rectified alternators used for providing energy to recharge batteries and energize the magnetic clutch that is coupled to the output shaft of the AC motor, and a small gas motor is detachably connected to the alternators in parallel with the DC motor and operates only when power in the batteries becomes lower than a predetermined level. The vehicle is primarily powered by the electric motor AC to the particle clutch producing a variable speed to the drive shaft of the vehicle and in certain instances the vehicle is covered by the gasoline engine.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,042,054 and 4,042,055 Ward there is disclosed a means for providing a lighter frame requirement and reduced battery load, and also a chain drive is associated with each drive wheel and the vehicle has a non rotating axle, is electrically driven by a DC electric motor and has a battery pack that can easily be removed from the vehicle.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,575,250 there is disclosed an electric driven vehicle with each wheel having its own motor that are series connected at one setting and parallel connected to another, and in turning, one of the motors will load and slow down and the other will speed up in a differential action.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,190,387 there is disclosed a four wheeled vehicle having two drive wheels each provided with its own motor carried on the vehicle frame which is sprung up on the wheels.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,878,913 Lionts there is disclosed a weighted flywheel operatively connected to a fan and through reduction gearing to a generator shaft and to a freewheeling type of clutch overdrive for charging batteries for driving an electrically powered vehicle.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,734,222 Bardwick there is disclosed an inertial energy flywheel system which includes clutch means for introducing energy to the flywheel from an engine or from a coasting or decelerating vehicle and a clutch means for transferring the stored energy to the vehicle on demand.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,882,950 Strohlein there is disclosed a means for withdrawing surplus power from the primary source of power to a vehicle and storing it in a flywheel operatively connected to the drive train of a vehicle at selected times and to use this energy to drive the vehicle.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,941,613 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,444,946 there is disclosed a clutch and flywheel governed transmission of generator driving power from a rotary fan with an intake air scoop and fan housing.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,621,929 Oberthur there is disclosed regenerative braking in which an electric motor operating as a generator to the rear axles of a vehicle with the hydraulic braking system not taking effect until the electric motor braking has reached it maximum value.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,277,737 Werth there is disclosed a means for utilizing rechargeable batteries in the operation of electric vehicles by recharging one or more battery blocks, each consisting of several batteries, by generators driven by braking energy, solar-cell arrays, or a power supply drawing rectified and stabilized current from a utility network.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,348,628 Loucks there is disclosed an electric driven vehicle having an electric motor operated by two alternating power circuits, each having a battery with a circuit for an open and closed mode of operation that permits the electric motor to be operated by one battery while the other battery is being charged.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,533,011 Heidemeyer and Zantopp there is disclosed a hybrid drive for an electric vehicle having an electric motor being connected with a driving axle of the vehicle by means of a first disconnecting clutch and with an internal combustion engine arranged in series therewith by means of a second disconnecting clutch wherein the internal combustion engine is designed without a flywheel and the flywheel mass required for its operation is an integral component of the rotating masses of the drive between the disconnection points of the two disconnecting clutches.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,227,587 Carman there is disclosed an automotive drive system in which an hydraulic pump is mechanically coupled to the wheels of a vehicle for pumping fluid under pressure to an accumulator for transmission to an hydraulic motor mechanically coupled to the engine for driving said engine, including speed responsive means for stopping the flow of hydraulic fluid from said accumulator to said motor when the engine has reached a predetermined speed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,532,769 Vestermark there is disclosed an energy storing flywheel assembly comprising two hubs having first and second reels with the second hub being larger than the first with a coiled ribbon extending between the first and second hub and a clutch control mechanism for transmitting rotational power from a power input to a power output shaft.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,589 Fox there is disclosed a pneumatic vehicle drive system in which each wheel is provided with a motor driven by a compressed air from a storage tank and the rotation of each wheel is also utilized for driving air compressors in compressing air for storage.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,163,367 Yeh there is disclosed a hybrid flywheel/compressed fluid propulsion system for vehicle drive comprising a compressed fluid power turbine in conjunction with the use of a flywheel in which the turbine serves as a compressor expander for driving an output shaft and for recovering kinetic energy during braking and deceleration and the flywheel is used for recovering kinetic energy and for driving an output shaft and an AC alternator and the flywheel/motor/alternator unit can be driven by an A.C. motor transmitting shaft power to the expander/compressor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,290,268 Lowther there is disclosed an auxiliary kinetic energy recovery system for a vehicle with a rotary sliding vane engine including a compressor, a combustion chamber and a motor in which the braking is done by connecting the rotor of the compressor to a wheel and braking rotation of the rotor by controlling the gas flow through the rotary sliding vane compressor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,590,767 Gardner, Jr there is disclosed an auxiliary power drive system, including kinetic energy recovery, coupled to an internal combustion engine in which by passed exhaust gas is fed to a rotary vane for driving an output shaft and also for compressing air, and an electrohydraulic motor as auxiliary power to the internal combustion engine, including the application of alternators, hydraulic pumps and compressors to the drive shaft and to the wheels of a vehicle.
The greatest problem experienced with the electric and hydraulic driven vehicle is the need for greater efficiency, for hydraulic motors and electric motors are most efficient at constant speed which presents considerable difficulty in a variable speed drive system as evidenced in vehicular drive. With the electric vehicle, high starting torque is necessary which requires a high starting current that causes a high internal voltage drop in the batteries. Amperage hour capacity goes down drastically with high current draw and also the life of the battery. And as shown in the prior art, whether electric motors are adapted to the drive wheels or to the drive shaft, it is necessary to gear down the electric motor as it functions best at high RPM. Torque is difficult to control with the electric motor and also with the hydraulic motor.
The electrohydraulic vehicle drive system offers an advantage and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,413,698 Conrad there is disclosed a method for providing a constant speed electric motor to a hydraulic drive system in which the fluid flow to the hydraulic motors is controlled by a system of valves which also control the speed of the vehicle. This had eliminated the need for a high starting torque to the electric motor and with a reduction in the overall size of the batteries needed, however, the hydraulic motors require a constant high pressure flow of fluid at all times in order to be operational and this causes inefficiency.
The prior art does not disclose one system that is efficient enough and has the provision for providing the total energy source for driving a vehicle over long range without the need for downtime and the recharging of batteries or the need for an external supply of fuel in a manner similar to the gasoline or diesel engine.
For any vehicle to replace or serve as a substitute to the internal combustion engine, its efficiency must be at the maximum and with the capability for regenerating a high percentage if not all of the energy needed for driving the vehicle under all road conditions.
In the prior art U.S. Pat. No. 4,413,698 inventor Conrad has succeeded in regenerating a high percentage of energy by the application of an electric motor connected to a pump for driving an alternator, however, the hydraulic motor that drives the alternator lacks the efficiency needed for generating a higher percentage of electricity.
The variable and exceedingly high energy demands for driving vehicles has not been met with a complete and comprehensive regenerative system and has fallen short of providing competitive performance characteristics of that experienced with the internal combustion engine; so no hybrid vehicular drive system has proven to be whooly suitable, adaptable and totally acceptable as an alternative power source for driving non stationary vehicles, mainly because it relies too heavily upon external means for supplying the energy necessary for operating such a system.